Meade Infinity 102, Instruction Manual

placed at the edge of the field, ready to be 

further observed.

Vibrations

:  Avoid touching the eyepiece 

while observing through the telescope. Vibra-

tions resulting from such contact will cause 

the image to move. Avoid observing sites 

where vibrations cause image movement (for 

example, near railroad tracks). Viewing from 

the upper floors of a building may also cause 

image movement.

Let your eyes “dark-adapt:”

  Allow five or 

ten minutes for your eyes to become “dark 

adapted” before observing. Use a red-fil-

tered flashlight to protect your night vision 

when reading star maps, or inspecting the 

telescope. Do not use a regular flash-light or 

turn on other lights when observing with a 

group of other astronomers. You can make 

your own red filtered flashlight by taping red 

cellophane over a flashlight lens.

Viewing through windows:

  Avoid setting 

up the telescope inside a room and observ-

ing through an opened or closed window 

pane. Images may appear blurred or distort-

ed due to temperature differences between 

inside and outside air. Also, it is a good idea 

to allow your telescope to reach the ambient 

(surrounding) outside temperature before 

starting an observing session.

When to observe

:  Planets and other  

objects viewed low on the horizon often lack 

sharpness—the same object, when ob-

served higher in the sky, will appear sharper 

and have greater contrast. Try reducing 

power (change your eyepiece) if your image 

is fuzzy or shimmers. Keep in mind that 

a bright, clear, but smaller image is more 

interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one. 

Using too high a power eyepiece is one of 

the most common mistakes made by new 

astronomers.

Dress Warm

:  Even on summer nights, the 

air can feel cool or cold as the night wears 

on. It is important to dress warm or to have a 

sweater, jacket, gloves, etc., nearby.

Know your observing site:

  If possible, 

know the location where you will be observ-

ing. Pay attention to holes in the ground and 

other obstacles. Is it a location where wild 

animals, such as skunks, snakes, etc., may 

appear?  Are there viewing obstructions 

such as tall trees, street lights, headlights 

and so forth?  The best locations are dark 

ASTRONOMY RESOURCES

•  The Meade 4M Community

    27 Hubble, Irvine, CA 92618

•  Astronomical League

    Executive Secretary

    5675 Real del Norte, Las Cruces, NM 88012

•  The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

    390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112

•  The Planetary Society

   65 North Catalina Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106

•  International Dark-Sky Association, Inc.

    3225 N. First Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719-2103

locations, the darker the better. Deep 

space objects are easiest to see under 

dark skies. 
But it is still possible to observe even in 

a city.

Surf the Web and visit your local library:

The internet contains a huge amount of 

astronomical information, both for children 

and adults. Check out astronomy books from 

your library. Look for star charts—these are 

available on a monthly basis in Astronomy 

and Sky and Telescope magazines.

11

Looking at or near the 

Sun

 will cause 

irreversible

 damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.